I’m gonna jump on this bandwagon. I know a lot of people are going to have their own opinions on what happened with the Taylor Swift and the Kanye West incident- and since it’s my blog…I’m going to give you mine.
Ready, here it is……………………….”So what”.
Let it sink in……………..
Speak/yell/scoff at your screen………….
Give your opinion…………………………….now keep reading.
I’m not surprised he did it- and neither should anyone else be. Here’s why- He’s not saved!! He’s not a born-again disciple of Jesus -“well yeah Noah, but come on- that was still wrong what he did”- you’re missing the point entirely. First off- it’s an award show dedicated to (for the most part) promoting- immorality, carnality, sex, drinking (hum hum…Kanye was drinking from a bottle of Hennessey!!) , foul language, and idolizing people that have no real reason to be idolized………………..from a Christian perspective.
The bible’s pretty clear that we operate from 2 places- the spirit or the flesh. If you aren’t saved…….the flesh it is. Remember Jesus saying “you’re of you father the devil” – All I’m trying to say is as the church- the world operates like the world does- was it messed up what he did? YES – Do I feel bad for Taylor Swift? I guess- Is Beyonce now the greatest person in the world? NO (but I give her props for what she did)- but that’s where they’re at. It shouldn’t surprise us- it should challenge us even more to get the word out there about Jesus, Love, Forgiveness, and Grace.
This is what I think- we don’t want to practice strict holiness in our lives.
What I mean is- “Well, you can’t say Kanye isn’t saved- he has a song called ‘Jesus Walks’- so he knows about Jesus- he might be……” “Well this movie start thanked God and their parents were Pentecostals- so they know the truth” “Yeah but her song says “God” in it and they all started their band in a church”……..we try to validate why we like, listen to , and watch what we watch……because hey….”they might be saved.” I’m preaching to myself and convicting myself right now just as much as it is you…. .
At the end of the day…..the world is the world and we are the church. Let’s help turn the tide in a culture that is operating from the only nature and place they know to operate from- let’s not justify it and be part of the gossip- Kanye did what he did because that’s what he knows to do- sorry Taylor- praying that God rocks Hollywood and LA and the whole industry- I mean, Kanye wrote a song called “Jesus Walks”- he’s gotta know a little something right……….
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Mosquito Bites
Mosquito Bites
A few weeks ago we had some couples over to our house to cookout and roast marshmallows—we love our friends!! We have a “fire pit” on our back patio that we use and I had to clean it out before everyone came over because it was full of water from the rain and old burnt wood. When I went out to clean it I noticed it was a cesspool of mosquitoes and swimming creatures I’ve never seen before. While cleaning it out I was viciously attacked by mosquitoes in the worst place for bites (in my opinion)….all over my ankles. Seriously between my two ankles I had 12-15 bites….ahhhhhhh!!!!
The thing about the bites is during the day they didn’t bother me as much—it was when I tried to sleep. I tried the craziest things to get the itch to go away—if you google “how to stop the itch from mosquito bites,” you’ll get some crazy results. Anyways, I couldn’t handle it—it ruined my sleep for about 3-4 nights. It was miserable.
So I’m running the other day thinking about these mosquito bites, questioning God’s intelligence for making such an annoying, evil creature, and it hit me. I need those bites in my life. Seriously, we all need them. Those bites wouldn’t let me sleep—they agitated me to action! I put toothpaste all over my feet because a website told me to!!!!! (It actually works, by the way.) I started thinking about this, and my prayer started to become, “God, let my dreams, the plans You have for my life, and my desires be like those mosquito bites: never let them go away, let them always push me to action, and let them agitate me out of my comfort zone!!”
So today, get bit and let it annoy the crap out of you! May it push you to start doing things you’ve always wanted to do but you’ve been too passive and too non-aggressive… ITCH THOSE SUCKERS!!!!!!
A few weeks ago we had some couples over to our house to cookout and roast marshmallows—we love our friends!! We have a “fire pit” on our back patio that we use and I had to clean it out before everyone came over because it was full of water from the rain and old burnt wood. When I went out to clean it I noticed it was a cesspool of mosquitoes and swimming creatures I’ve never seen before. While cleaning it out I was viciously attacked by mosquitoes in the worst place for bites (in my opinion)….all over my ankles. Seriously between my two ankles I had 12-15 bites….ahhhhhhh!!!!
The thing about the bites is during the day they didn’t bother me as much—it was when I tried to sleep. I tried the craziest things to get the itch to go away—if you google “how to stop the itch from mosquito bites,” you’ll get some crazy results. Anyways, I couldn’t handle it—it ruined my sleep for about 3-4 nights. It was miserable.
So I’m running the other day thinking about these mosquito bites, questioning God’s intelligence for making such an annoying, evil creature, and it hit me. I need those bites in my life. Seriously, we all need them. Those bites wouldn’t let me sleep—they agitated me to action! I put toothpaste all over my feet because a website told me to!!!!! (It actually works, by the way.) I started thinking about this, and my prayer started to become, “God, let my dreams, the plans You have for my life, and my desires be like those mosquito bites: never let them go away, let them always push me to action, and let them agitate me out of my comfort zone!!”
So today, get bit and let it annoy the crap out of you! May it push you to start doing things you’ve always wanted to do but you’ve been too passive and too non-aggressive… ITCH THOSE SUCKERS!!!!!!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Grace
We've been doing a series on Grace in youth and every week we start out with reading this "overview of grace" in the bible- since i read fast and not everyone can write this down- we'll post it for your reading enjoyment (as promised Mr. Keys :) )
Grace
The lord is gracious- he is the giver of grace and is the God of all grace-his throne is a throne of grace- the prophets of old prophesied of the grace that should come to us -this grace came by Jesus- He was full of grace and it is from his fullness that we receive one grace after another- the grace of God was upon him- gracious words preceded out of his mouth- it was by grace that he tasted death for every man- the holy spirit is called the spirit of grace- our message is called the gospel of the grace of God-and the word of his grace. Grace can be seen and perceived , grace brings salvation to us- it is through the grace of God we believe- we are saved by grace. We are justified freely by his grace; we are called by grace into grace. It is grace we are under and it is grace in which we stand. We are partakers of grace, grace teaches us to resist ungodliness and to live righteously. Grace establishes our hearts, grace builds us up and gives us an inheritance- graces gives us everlasting consolation and good hope- grace helps in the time of need- His grace is sufficient to cause us to rise above all difficulties and to reign in life. Grace enables us to serve God acceptably and preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. Our words can give grace to others, we can sing with grace in our hearts- and our words are to be seasoned with grace. Grace makes us what we are as it works in us and through us – it is the Grace of God that makes us rich and meets our needs- Grace is given to every believer- grace causes us to be enriched by him in all utterance and knowledge- we are told to grow in grace, be strong in grace, to continue in grace, and abound in grace. The word speaks of great grace, the abundance of grace, the grace of life, the dispensation of grace, his exceeding grace, the glory of his grace, the riches of his grace, the gift of grace, the true grace of God and the election of grace. An individual can come short of grace, receive grace in vain, fall from grace, and frustrate the grace of God. Grace can be abused as a tool for immorality- God gives more grace to the humble and to the sincere- grace is multiplied unto us through the knowledge of God and Jesus our lord and is obtained by coming boldly to his throne, a throne of grace.
Grace
The lord is gracious- he is the giver of grace and is the God of all grace-his throne is a throne of grace- the prophets of old prophesied of the grace that should come to us -this grace came by Jesus- He was full of grace and it is from his fullness that we receive one grace after another- the grace of God was upon him- gracious words preceded out of his mouth- it was by grace that he tasted death for every man- the holy spirit is called the spirit of grace- our message is called the gospel of the grace of God-and the word of his grace. Grace can be seen and perceived , grace brings salvation to us- it is through the grace of God we believe- we are saved by grace. We are justified freely by his grace; we are called by grace into grace. It is grace we are under and it is grace in which we stand. We are partakers of grace, grace teaches us to resist ungodliness and to live righteously. Grace establishes our hearts, grace builds us up and gives us an inheritance- graces gives us everlasting consolation and good hope- grace helps in the time of need- His grace is sufficient to cause us to rise above all difficulties and to reign in life. Grace enables us to serve God acceptably and preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. Our words can give grace to others, we can sing with grace in our hearts- and our words are to be seasoned with grace. Grace makes us what we are as it works in us and through us – it is the Grace of God that makes us rich and meets our needs- Grace is given to every believer- grace causes us to be enriched by him in all utterance and knowledge- we are told to grow in grace, be strong in grace, to continue in grace, and abound in grace. The word speaks of great grace, the abundance of grace, the grace of life, the dispensation of grace, his exceeding grace, the glory of his grace, the riches of his grace, the gift of grace, the true grace of God and the election of grace. An individual can come short of grace, receive grace in vain, fall from grace, and frustrate the grace of God. Grace can be abused as a tool for immorality- God gives more grace to the humble and to the sincere- grace is multiplied unto us through the knowledge of God and Jesus our lord and is obtained by coming boldly to his throne, a throne of grace.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Waiting
I'm writing this while I wait in the doctor’s office waiting for our routine baby visit… and waiting, and waiting...
This is a reoccurrence for us—we wait a good 25 to 45 minutes before they actually get to us. (We're at 40 minutes right now.)
Sometimes waiting is a necessity in life—it teaches you things—but in this case, it's bad business. I want you to look at your life as the owner. Are you committed to consistency? Are you a person of your word? Are you dependable?
Faithfulness and consistency are the beginning steps to living a dream God can trust you with. Don't leave your commitments in the waiting room.
(45 min right now… might be a new record!)
This is a reoccurrence for us—we wait a good 25 to 45 minutes before they actually get to us. (We're at 40 minutes right now.)
Sometimes waiting is a necessity in life—it teaches you things—but in this case, it's bad business. I want you to look at your life as the owner. Are you committed to consistency? Are you a person of your word? Are you dependable?
Faithfulness and consistency are the beginning steps to living a dream God can trust you with. Don't leave your commitments in the waiting room.
(45 min right now… might be a new record!)
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Image- anation
“So I had this wild dream last night…”, “I was thinking of this crazy idea…”, “So I had this thought-it’s pretty weird…”
What’s the purpose of our minds? Why do we think in images? Why do we randomly have “crazy,weird,wild” thoughts?
I’m convinced God is a smart God- he’s purposeful and very systematic. I think this brain we have with this thing called an “imagination” is necessary to us fulfilling a life he’s called us to. You don’t just think random thoughts ALL THE TIME- I mean granted- there’s those dreams you don’t want to tell anyone about, and I’m sure there’s thoughts of you transforming into a 6’3” 190lb softball playing machine- that are just crazy thoughts (maybe that’s just mine). But there’s got to be a purpose to some of the dreams and thoughts we come up with. And I think they’re summed up in this statement by an individual who’s book I’m reading- it hit me pretty strong today….think about it…..
“Your life will never become what you do not dare to imagine.”
What’s the purpose of our minds? Why do we think in images? Why do we randomly have “crazy,weird,wild” thoughts?
I’m convinced God is a smart God- he’s purposeful and very systematic. I think this brain we have with this thing called an “imagination” is necessary to us fulfilling a life he’s called us to. You don’t just think random thoughts ALL THE TIME- I mean granted- there’s those dreams you don’t want to tell anyone about, and I’m sure there’s thoughts of you transforming into a 6’3” 190lb softball playing machine- that are just crazy thoughts (maybe that’s just mine). But there’s got to be a purpose to some of the dreams and thoughts we come up with. And I think they’re summed up in this statement by an individual who’s book I’m reading- it hit me pretty strong today….think about it…..
“Your life will never become what you do not dare to imagine.”
Friday, July 31, 2009
Untangling the Necklace
I know I know it’s frustrating…..a tangled necklace. If you’ve been around jewelry or women for any amount of time- you’ve probably come across one. A necklace that’s tangled and bunched up so bad it looks to be hopeless.
I’ve come in contact with a few of these necklaces before that people have asked me to untangle- and after so many minutes of trying- you just want to give up…..and there’s been often times that I have….possibly every time.
I’m thinking about this because this morning my wife tells me she found a necklace that she had thought she had lost, it was in the dryer. She said it was really bunched up in big knots- (my assumed response she was going to give me was)-“ but it was a lost cause- I had to toss it”, but she didn’t say that. She said “it took me about 10 minutes but I got it out”. Wow I thought- I’m impressed. It’s this bird necklace that she has that she REALLY REALLY likes- and she took the time to untangle it.
I think we give up on things too easily in our lives- things that are actually valuable to us- we become impatient, frustrated, and hopeless. I think that’s one of the reasons Paul wrote about not giving up- staying persistent- keep on pursuing. Because he knew the value of the dreams, visions, and passions that we’d have in our lives that aren’t always going to come easy- but are definitely worth working on.
So do you have some necklaces that need to be untangled in your life? Take the time-don’t give up- they’re worth it.
Gal. 6:9- “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
I’ve come in contact with a few of these necklaces before that people have asked me to untangle- and after so many minutes of trying- you just want to give up…..and there’s been often times that I have….possibly every time.
I’m thinking about this because this morning my wife tells me she found a necklace that she had thought she had lost, it was in the dryer. She said it was really bunched up in big knots- (my assumed response she was going to give me was)-“ but it was a lost cause- I had to toss it”, but she didn’t say that. She said “it took me about 10 minutes but I got it out”. Wow I thought- I’m impressed. It’s this bird necklace that she has that she REALLY REALLY likes- and she took the time to untangle it.
I think we give up on things too easily in our lives- things that are actually valuable to us- we become impatient, frustrated, and hopeless. I think that’s one of the reasons Paul wrote about not giving up- staying persistent- keep on pursuing. Because he knew the value of the dreams, visions, and passions that we’d have in our lives that aren’t always going to come easy- but are definitely worth working on.
So do you have some necklaces that need to be untangled in your life? Take the time-don’t give up- they’re worth it.
Gal. 6:9- “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Why Brett Favre is a value to life...
I can't really finish writing that title without smiling and laughing at the thought of people reading this and throwing vocally out there comments about Brett Favre. But let me explain....
"Jesus love's you", "God has a plan for your life"- we have these statements we make in church and amongst our christian friends- and after a while I think we lose the intensity and power those statements carry. If "God has a plan for my life", and it's in accordance with all the verses in the bible that we know- it must be a pretty good plan.
So I'm a Packer fan thru and thru- and despite what's going on with him- I'm still a Brett Favre fan. The thing about this guy is that everyone wants him to just retire-but why, the guy loves to play football. There is no one in the NFL that's played as long as he does with as much enthusiasm. Every touchdown he throws- hands are up and a smile on his face. So my thought is most people can't wait to retire- but this guy loves what he does so much he can't stay retired. What if we felt that way about the plan of God for our lives? What if every morning we woke up with both arms raised, enthused about the life we get to live. What if God really has a plan for us and it's exciting, inspiring, adventurous, fulfilling.
If you aren't excited about your life- if you only look forward to the weekends and not the Monday and Tuesdays- you only look forward to a couple "events" in your life every year, you aren't inspired, excited, or fulfilled- if you're none of these things- you probably aren't living the plan that God has for you.
"Jesus love's you", "God has a plan for your life"- we have these statements we make in church and amongst our christian friends- and after a while I think we lose the intensity and power those statements carry. If "God has a plan for my life", and it's in accordance with all the verses in the bible that we know- it must be a pretty good plan.
So I'm a Packer fan thru and thru- and despite what's going on with him- I'm still a Brett Favre fan. The thing about this guy is that everyone wants him to just retire-but why, the guy loves to play football. There is no one in the NFL that's played as long as he does with as much enthusiasm. Every touchdown he throws- hands are up and a smile on his face. So my thought is most people can't wait to retire- but this guy loves what he does so much he can't stay retired. What if we felt that way about the plan of God for our lives? What if every morning we woke up with both arms raised, enthused about the life we get to live. What if God really has a plan for us and it's exciting, inspiring, adventurous, fulfilling.
If you aren't excited about your life- if you only look forward to the weekends and not the Monday and Tuesdays- you only look forward to a couple "events" in your life every year, you aren't inspired, excited, or fulfilled- if you're none of these things- you probably aren't living the plan that God has for you.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Thumbs
So I drive through a certain fast food place this morning to grab breakfast (which I rarely- if ever do). They tell me to please pull up and wait because my order isn’t ready yet and they’ll bring it out to me. So I do. As I pull up along the side of the building I look in the window and I see four older gentlemen sitting at a table talking. Well, 3 of the 4 are- one of the guys is sitting with his head down just twiddling his thumbs completely disconnected from the conversation. Very awkward- I continue to watch to see maybe if this man is possibly handicapped or maybe mentally slow- but no. He’s just not interested in listening. But every once in a while he’ll pop his head up and make eye contact with whoever’s speaking for just a second, then the head goes back down- the thum twiddling begins- and complete disconnection.
I wonder as believers- those of us who believe God is still speaking to us today- that prayer is a dialogue and not a monologue. I wonder how many of us are disconnected from the conversation God is trying to have with us- we’re more preoccupied with our routing, school, friends, work, life…..our thumbs. We pop up every once in a while when we hear a good "message" or a cool conference/camp comes along- but for the most part we're not in the "talk".
Challenge for today- look up and make eye contact with God and be a part of the conversation.
I wonder as believers- those of us who believe God is still speaking to us today- that prayer is a dialogue and not a monologue. I wonder how many of us are disconnected from the conversation God is trying to have with us- we’re more preoccupied with our routing, school, friends, work, life…..our thumbs. We pop up every once in a while when we hear a good "message" or a cool conference/camp comes along- but for the most part we're not in the "talk".
Challenge for today- look up and make eye contact with God and be a part of the conversation.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
"I’m busy but I’m doing nothing" by Pastor Mike Roberts
Pastor Mike Roberts is the youth pastor of Believer's Christian Fellowship in Warren, OH and is a close friend of the Shelter Student Ministries.
A while back I looked at my life and realized something…A lot of times I’m busy but not productive. I work hard, I have a busy schedule, but so many times I have little to show for it.
Have you ever been there before? I bet with meetings, school, work, extra-curricular activities, relationships, and church responsibilities you’re busy. I have no doubt that you work hard, but are you accomplishing a lot with your life? Could you be doing more? Undertaking more? Conquering more? Completing more?
I bet you could; I know I could! So here are a couple of thoughts that I have been challenging myself with in my endeavor to “accomplish,” not just “do” more with my life.
What are you passionate about? So few times we never do what we’re passionate about. What if you identified your passions and then made a choice that no matter what you did in your day you would at least do one thing that would tap into that passion? Take a minute and think about what makes you mad, what makes you glad, what makes you cry. Chances are that is what you’re passionate about.
What do you have the potential to be the best in the world at? In my experience, trying to be good at everything means you’ll be great at nothing. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book, Outliers, said that it basically takes 10,000 hours to be at expert in something. It doesn’t matter whether it is academics or athletics! What if you stopped trying to be good at everything and just tried to be great at one thing?
What does success look like for you? Is it making a lot of money? Getting a scholarship for college? Making the football team? Being a good friend? Being a better Christian? I think sometimes we never have the feeling of success in our lives because we never took the time to define what that looks like in our own individual lives.
Here’s what I suggest…Schedule an appointment with yourself; take one hour and in the context of prayer answer the above questions. Then let your answers guide you on what groups you join, what activities you participate in, how you spend your time, and what goals you set. Let’s not just “do” more with our lives, but let’s “accomplish” more!
Pastor Mike Jr
A while back I looked at my life and realized something…A lot of times I’m busy but not productive. I work hard, I have a busy schedule, but so many times I have little to show for it.
Have you ever been there before? I bet with meetings, school, work, extra-curricular activities, relationships, and church responsibilities you’re busy. I have no doubt that you work hard, but are you accomplishing a lot with your life? Could you be doing more? Undertaking more? Conquering more? Completing more?
I bet you could; I know I could! So here are a couple of thoughts that I have been challenging myself with in my endeavor to “accomplish,” not just “do” more with my life.
What are you passionate about? So few times we never do what we’re passionate about. What if you identified your passions and then made a choice that no matter what you did in your day you would at least do one thing that would tap into that passion? Take a minute and think about what makes you mad, what makes you glad, what makes you cry. Chances are that is what you’re passionate about.
What do you have the potential to be the best in the world at? In my experience, trying to be good at everything means you’ll be great at nothing. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book, Outliers, said that it basically takes 10,000 hours to be at expert in something. It doesn’t matter whether it is academics or athletics! What if you stopped trying to be good at everything and just tried to be great at one thing?
What does success look like for you? Is it making a lot of money? Getting a scholarship for college? Making the football team? Being a good friend? Being a better Christian? I think sometimes we never have the feeling of success in our lives because we never took the time to define what that looks like in our own individual lives.
Here’s what I suggest…Schedule an appointment with yourself; take one hour and in the context of prayer answer the above questions. Then let your answers guide you on what groups you join, what activities you participate in, how you spend your time, and what goals you set. Let’s not just “do” more with our lives, but let’s “accomplish” more!
Pastor Mike Jr
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
"Dusting the Wine Bottles" by Pastor Noah
I don’t drink…….ever.
So this morning I’m up early and I’m walking through a grocery store. Now this particular grocery store happens to be, in my opinion, one of the nicest grocery stores in our city. You know those stores—the ones where everything is crisp and looks good. The place that actually has a library of magazines in it on nicely stained dark wood shelves. The store that has more movies than blockbuster, not for rent because that would entice a mindset and appearance of “reused” items that get worn and beat up, but these ones are all for sale at top dollar. The kind of store that you (or should I say “I”) don’t mind walking around in for a bit just looking. Now for me, that’s HUGE because you can ask my wife—normally going to the grocery store is like telling me that I have to have a colonoscopy done—not fun.
It’s early enough in the morning where it isn’t busy yet. The workers are stocking the shelves and making all of the items look uniform, tempting you to buy them (which I did go up to the organic juice section and ruin the ladies nice uniformed line as I pulled multiple “healthy drinks” off of the shelf with a bit of unease because I thought she may get offended). After I get my juice I decide to take a little walk through the store. (See, I told ya, you don’t mind spending a little time in a place like that…but I was also waiting for the bookstore/coffeehouse to open up down the way, so I had some time to kill.) As I’m walking, I go through the bakery then the deli, and I’m walking towards the middle of the store and I look to my left where the alcohol/wine section is. Now, I don’t drink…ever, but when you’re in a place like this you just observe everything. At least I do. As I look to the left down the wine aisle, I notice a gentleman, I’d say mid 50’s, fairly tall, with a little bit of a stocky build, on his knees with a feather duster…..dusting the wine bottles on the bottom shelf.
I like to think I’m one that is pretty open to the way God chooses to communicate to me—I try to stay “sensitive” at all times to Him, though I’m sure I fail more times than I succeed—and I hear inside me “Dusting the wine bottles, huh?” Now I’m in this place in my life and “career” (If you want to call it that. I’d choose to call it ‘the best thing I could imagine for my life.’ That is, being a Pastor over a phenomenal group of young people.) I’m in this place of wanting more—a lot more. And I’ve kind of embarked on this spiritual/natural journey of “betterment”—of wanting to be better and be greater at things. This was one of those instances—one of those times where a “nugget” of wisdom straight from heaven hit my spirit. “Dusting the wine bottles…huh?”
You see, I’d have to say this gentleman that was dusting these bottles wasn’t a “professional wine bottle duster.” I think he was just a regular guy doing his job in an extraordinary measure. This gentleman, who is not young, is on his knees on the hard tile floor of a grocery store with a feather duster, dusting wine bottles. And it hit me—that’s life and ministry. This guy is dusting this product on the bottom shelf of a fairly large store. This store will most likely have thousands of people walk through it today, many of whom will probably never walk down the wine aisle. But this man knew something—upkeep and appearance is everything. Maybe not to all the people that step foot in that door, but to those who appreciate the appearance of the store and the feel it gives off, and to those who frequent this place to purchase their wine. I think it does something for this man as well. It gives him something in his job that a lot of people don’t have—pride. He’ll stand up and the end of his dusting and look at this giant row of wine bottles, gleaming and polished, and probably smile. Will he buy all these bottles and take them home? I sure hope not! He may not even drink, but what he does do is look at what he has been given to do, and does it with excellence. It looks good.
Now the funny thing is that I’ll never buy a bottle of wine….ever, but I can appreciate the work this gentleman put into his area. And I have to think…what about me? Am I getting on my hands and knees with a feather duster in my call and in my life and making sure that I’m taking proper care of it? Am I going above and beyond and out of my way (or directly in my way) to make sure that at the end of the day, when I lay back and reflect on my life that day, that I smile with pride? Or even more importantly, when I reflect on my life in the closing moments of my existence here on this earth, will I smile and say…”looks good”?
I also ask myself, “What do our lives look like to the world? What does the ministry that God has entrusted me with look like to the outside (and the inside)? When people pass by it do they smile and appreciate the work that has been put into it? Do they know I worked hard to make it great?”
I just started reading a book called ‘Good to Great.’ It’s a business book, but I think I’ll get a lot out of it. In one part of the book, the author, Jim Collins, makes this statement, “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.” The gentleman at the grocery store didn’t stand back and smile in pride due to the fact that he worked in a ‘great’ grocery store, and consequentially, it made the wine section great. He chose to get down and take a duster to each bottle, and spend the time inspecting and making sure it looked good so that he was happy with it.
So my question is, “What do your wine bottles look like?” I’ve been to the crummy stores where the floors are never mopped, it looks gloomy, and everything is outdated and not cared for. I don’t like shopping there. I don’t like to even step foot into the store—I won’t give those places a second thought. So with that, what do people see in my life and in our ministry? Greatness? Or dirty floors and a place that hasn’t been well taken care of?
What about you…how are your knees feeling?
So this morning I’m up early and I’m walking through a grocery store. Now this particular grocery store happens to be, in my opinion, one of the nicest grocery stores in our city. You know those stores—the ones where everything is crisp and looks good. The place that actually has a library of magazines in it on nicely stained dark wood shelves. The store that has more movies than blockbuster, not for rent because that would entice a mindset and appearance of “reused” items that get worn and beat up, but these ones are all for sale at top dollar. The kind of store that you (or should I say “I”) don’t mind walking around in for a bit just looking. Now for me, that’s HUGE because you can ask my wife—normally going to the grocery store is like telling me that I have to have a colonoscopy done—not fun.
It’s early enough in the morning where it isn’t busy yet. The workers are stocking the shelves and making all of the items look uniform, tempting you to buy them (which I did go up to the organic juice section and ruin the ladies nice uniformed line as I pulled multiple “healthy drinks” off of the shelf with a bit of unease because I thought she may get offended). After I get my juice I decide to take a little walk through the store. (See, I told ya, you don’t mind spending a little time in a place like that…but I was also waiting for the bookstore/coffeehouse to open up down the way, so I had some time to kill.) As I’m walking, I go through the bakery then the deli, and I’m walking towards the middle of the store and I look to my left where the alcohol/wine section is. Now, I don’t drink…ever, but when you’re in a place like this you just observe everything. At least I do. As I look to the left down the wine aisle, I notice a gentleman, I’d say mid 50’s, fairly tall, with a little bit of a stocky build, on his knees with a feather duster…..dusting the wine bottles on the bottom shelf.
I like to think I’m one that is pretty open to the way God chooses to communicate to me—I try to stay “sensitive” at all times to Him, though I’m sure I fail more times than I succeed—and I hear inside me “Dusting the wine bottles, huh?” Now I’m in this place in my life and “career” (If you want to call it that. I’d choose to call it ‘the best thing I could imagine for my life.’ That is, being a Pastor over a phenomenal group of young people.) I’m in this place of wanting more—a lot more. And I’ve kind of embarked on this spiritual/natural journey of “betterment”—of wanting to be better and be greater at things. This was one of those instances—one of those times where a “nugget” of wisdom straight from heaven hit my spirit. “Dusting the wine bottles…huh?”
You see, I’d have to say this gentleman that was dusting these bottles wasn’t a “professional wine bottle duster.” I think he was just a regular guy doing his job in an extraordinary measure. This gentleman, who is not young, is on his knees on the hard tile floor of a grocery store with a feather duster, dusting wine bottles. And it hit me—that’s life and ministry. This guy is dusting this product on the bottom shelf of a fairly large store. This store will most likely have thousands of people walk through it today, many of whom will probably never walk down the wine aisle. But this man knew something—upkeep and appearance is everything. Maybe not to all the people that step foot in that door, but to those who appreciate the appearance of the store and the feel it gives off, and to those who frequent this place to purchase their wine. I think it does something for this man as well. It gives him something in his job that a lot of people don’t have—pride. He’ll stand up and the end of his dusting and look at this giant row of wine bottles, gleaming and polished, and probably smile. Will he buy all these bottles and take them home? I sure hope not! He may not even drink, but what he does do is look at what he has been given to do, and does it with excellence. It looks good.
Now the funny thing is that I’ll never buy a bottle of wine….ever, but I can appreciate the work this gentleman put into his area. And I have to think…what about me? Am I getting on my hands and knees with a feather duster in my call and in my life and making sure that I’m taking proper care of it? Am I going above and beyond and out of my way (or directly in my way) to make sure that at the end of the day, when I lay back and reflect on my life that day, that I smile with pride? Or even more importantly, when I reflect on my life in the closing moments of my existence here on this earth, will I smile and say…”looks good”?
I also ask myself, “What do our lives look like to the world? What does the ministry that God has entrusted me with look like to the outside (and the inside)? When people pass by it do they smile and appreciate the work that has been put into it? Do they know I worked hard to make it great?”
I just started reading a book called ‘Good to Great.’ It’s a business book, but I think I’ll get a lot out of it. In one part of the book, the author, Jim Collins, makes this statement, “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.” The gentleman at the grocery store didn’t stand back and smile in pride due to the fact that he worked in a ‘great’ grocery store, and consequentially, it made the wine section great. He chose to get down and take a duster to each bottle, and spend the time inspecting and making sure it looked good so that he was happy with it.
So my question is, “What do your wine bottles look like?” I’ve been to the crummy stores where the floors are never mopped, it looks gloomy, and everything is outdated and not cared for. I don’t like shopping there. I don’t like to even step foot into the store—I won’t give those places a second thought. So with that, what do people see in my life and in our ministry? Greatness? Or dirty floors and a place that hasn’t been well taken care of?
What about you…how are your knees feeling?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Seriously.......you????? by Pastor Noah
You ever have those moments in your life where you feel like your inability to accomplish things in life or do what you dream to do or even what God’s called you to do is directly affected by who you are and more so what your background is like? You know, like: who your family is, where you lived, what you look like, what’s happened to you....all that kind of stuff. Then to make things worse you have people that begin to judge your ability based on things like that.
I was just reading in John about when Philip went and found Nathanael and told him that they found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about- the messiah, and that his name was Jesus and he’s from Nazareth. And then I love Nathanael’s response “Nazareth! Can anything good come from Nazareth?” lsn’t it interesting that when Nathanael finally went to meet Jesus, that Jesus wasn’t all bummed and hid in a corner because Nathanael made fun of where he came from? He actually called Nathanael “...a man of complete integrity”- Jesus never got side tracked by what people thought of him or the fact that he was born in a barn, came from Nazareth, was born from a woman who was not married yet!! (that means ‘born out of wedlock’ ) and his own hometown even hated him- if Jesus didn’t let that stop him, we should never have any excuses. So “seriously......you????” Yep, you know it baby!!
I was just reading in John about when Philip went and found Nathanael and told him that they found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about- the messiah, and that his name was Jesus and he’s from Nazareth. And then I love Nathanael’s response “Nazareth! Can anything good come from Nazareth?” lsn’t it interesting that when Nathanael finally went to meet Jesus, that Jesus wasn’t all bummed and hid in a corner because Nathanael made fun of where he came from? He actually called Nathanael “...a man of complete integrity”- Jesus never got side tracked by what people thought of him or the fact that he was born in a barn, came from Nazareth, was born from a woman who was not married yet!! (that means ‘born out of wedlock’ ) and his own hometown even hated him- if Jesus didn’t let that stop him, we should never have any excuses. So “seriously......you????” Yep, you know it baby!!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Untitled - by Josh Roberts
Josh Roberts is a close friend of The Shelter and brother to Pastor Mike Roberts of Believer's Christian Fellowship.
The older I get - which at 24 is not so old – nonetheless, I have realized two things as I read and study the Word of God (aka The Bible): 1) I know so little about God, and 2) it’s never God that’s the problem; it’s me.
In regards to the first point, I have spent a good amount of time with my nose in the Bible and in books about the Bible; spent time studying the Hebrew language (which is the original language of the Old Testament) and translated ancient Hebrew texts. So I would definitely classify myself as a certified nerd. I don’t write this with the intention of making it seems like I am some sort of super-Christian. My goal is to display my passion and excitement for God and His Word. You see, the Bible has this sort of addictive property to it. Once you start “using” you don’t want to stop! And I have come to the realization that the more and more I study about God and His Word, the more I conclude I know so little! The study of the Bible is not exhaustive, and what I mean by that is you can never, and I mean never, know everything there is to know about God. That excites me! I know that every time I pick up the Bible, God can reveal something to me I have never seen before…it doesn’t matter if I have read that portion of text one time or one hundred times, there is always something new and revealing of God and His character.
Some of you may be thinking “I don’t like to read the Bible, its boring.” And to be honest with you, there are some books in the Bible that make me think the same way. But why is it boring? Because we don’t understand it. There are just some things in the Bible that seem so far from our understanding it makes reading it seem impossible. But here is where God, in His mercy and grace, has foreseen this “mental roadblock,” and has given us a tool to use in understanding His Word—His Holy Spirit. What has worked in my life in helping me to figure out some things is saying a little prayer before I open my Bible and start to read, and it goes “Father, thank you for Your Word. I ask that as I read it You reveal Yourself to me; Holy Spirit open up my eyes to see the truth and understand who God is. Amen.” When you take the time to read God’s Word and ask for His help to understand it, you will not want to put the Bible down…I promise!!!
Your growth and understanding of God’s word is dependent on the condition of your heart. You see, as much as God wants you to learn and grow, the devil wants desperately to take it all away! We need to keep our hearts right in order to receive and grow with God. Jesus took the time in His life on this earth to tell us about this problem; check out Matthew 13. Jesus tells a story about a man who goes out and plants some seed and that seed falls on various types of soil: hard soil, rocky soil, thorny soil, and good soil. The seed that falls on the hard soil was just eaten by the birds because the seed could not be rooted in hard soil. The seed that feel on rocky soil started to grow, but because the plant had no root, when the sun came up, it scorched the plant and it died. The seed that fell on thorny soil began to grow, but as it grew, those thorns choked the plant and it died. Yet, the seed that fell on good soil became rooted and grew strong.
Jesus goes on to explain the meaning of this little story. The seed represents the Word of God and the soil is us. For you see, it’s never the Seed (or the Word) that’s the problem, it’s the soil (or US!). We cannot be so hard that when we hear God’s Word that we don’t even let it register; that’s when the devil can come and snatch it away. It does nothing for us.
Neither can we be so shallow that we do not allow God’s Word to take root. Do not confuse emotional excitement for spiritual depth. Growing in God TAKES TIME! Let me say that again, growing in God TAKES TIME! Also, we cannot allow things in our life (sin) to choke the Word. If we allow sin to remain in our lives, every time we try to grow, we begin to choke! Am I saying you have to be perfect, no; no one’s perfect. There’s an awesome verse in the Bible and it goes “Your Word have I hidden in my heart, that I may not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11) You will see, the more of God’s Word you put in your life, the easier it will be to say ‘no’ to sin. Notice, I didn’t say you won’t be tempted to sin, the temptation will always be there; but the more of His Word you know, the better off you will be! We need to be like the good soil, where we hear the Word; soak it in, let it take root, and start to grow!
The older I get - which at 24 is not so old – nonetheless, I have realized two things as I read and study the Word of God (aka The Bible): 1) I know so little about God, and 2) it’s never God that’s the problem; it’s me.
In regards to the first point, I have spent a good amount of time with my nose in the Bible and in books about the Bible; spent time studying the Hebrew language (which is the original language of the Old Testament) and translated ancient Hebrew texts. So I would definitely classify myself as a certified nerd. I don’t write this with the intention of making it seems like I am some sort of super-Christian. My goal is to display my passion and excitement for God and His Word. You see, the Bible has this sort of addictive property to it. Once you start “using” you don’t want to stop! And I have come to the realization that the more and more I study about God and His Word, the more I conclude I know so little! The study of the Bible is not exhaustive, and what I mean by that is you can never, and I mean never, know everything there is to know about God. That excites me! I know that every time I pick up the Bible, God can reveal something to me I have never seen before…it doesn’t matter if I have read that portion of text one time or one hundred times, there is always something new and revealing of God and His character.
Some of you may be thinking “I don’t like to read the Bible, its boring.” And to be honest with you, there are some books in the Bible that make me think the same way. But why is it boring? Because we don’t understand it. There are just some things in the Bible that seem so far from our understanding it makes reading it seem impossible. But here is where God, in His mercy and grace, has foreseen this “mental roadblock,” and has given us a tool to use in understanding His Word—His Holy Spirit. What has worked in my life in helping me to figure out some things is saying a little prayer before I open my Bible and start to read, and it goes “Father, thank you for Your Word. I ask that as I read it You reveal Yourself to me; Holy Spirit open up my eyes to see the truth and understand who God is. Amen.” When you take the time to read God’s Word and ask for His help to understand it, you will not want to put the Bible down…I promise!!!
Your growth and understanding of God’s word is dependent on the condition of your heart. You see, as much as God wants you to learn and grow, the devil wants desperately to take it all away! We need to keep our hearts right in order to receive and grow with God. Jesus took the time in His life on this earth to tell us about this problem; check out Matthew 13. Jesus tells a story about a man who goes out and plants some seed and that seed falls on various types of soil: hard soil, rocky soil, thorny soil, and good soil. The seed that falls on the hard soil was just eaten by the birds because the seed could not be rooted in hard soil. The seed that feel on rocky soil started to grow, but because the plant had no root, when the sun came up, it scorched the plant and it died. The seed that fell on thorny soil began to grow, but as it grew, those thorns choked the plant and it died. Yet, the seed that fell on good soil became rooted and grew strong.
Jesus goes on to explain the meaning of this little story. The seed represents the Word of God and the soil is us. For you see, it’s never the Seed (or the Word) that’s the problem, it’s the soil (or US!). We cannot be so hard that when we hear God’s Word that we don’t even let it register; that’s when the devil can come and snatch it away. It does nothing for us.
Neither can we be so shallow that we do not allow God’s Word to take root. Do not confuse emotional excitement for spiritual depth. Growing in God TAKES TIME! Let me say that again, growing in God TAKES TIME! Also, we cannot allow things in our life (sin) to choke the Word. If we allow sin to remain in our lives, every time we try to grow, we begin to choke! Am I saying you have to be perfect, no; no one’s perfect. There’s an awesome verse in the Bible and it goes “Your Word have I hidden in my heart, that I may not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11) You will see, the more of God’s Word you put in your life, the easier it will be to say ‘no’ to sin. Notice, I didn’t say you won’t be tempted to sin, the temptation will always be there; but the more of His Word you know, the better off you will be! We need to be like the good soil, where we hear the Word; soak it in, let it take root, and start to grow!
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